


Mandatory Fun

by soldiermom1973



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Fluffy, Friendship, Gen, Mass Effect 2, Shore Leave, sfw, surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-30 19:36:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8546455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soldiermom1973/pseuds/soldiermom1973
Summary: Commander Shepard as given her crew some shore leave before they make the trip through the Omega-4 relay.  Dr. Mordin Solus refuses to go, claiming he has too much work to do.  Shepard hatches a plot to get the scientist salarian to unwind, whether he likes it or not.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [adrift_me](https://archiveofourown.org/users/adrift_me/gifts).



> My part of the fic swap. I do hope everyone likes it, especially Toffy!

“Hey, Mordin! You have a minute?” Commander Shepard sauntered into the salarian's lab, a huge grin plastered on her face.

“One minute, perhaps. Running more simulations on the seeker swarms. Must be ready for trip through Omega-4.”

Shepard cleared her throat and said, “So, I was thinking. I let everyone know that they could take some shore leave before we head out to the great unknown. I've gotten everyone's request forms back except for you.”

“Ah, yes. 'Shore leave'.” Mordin used his fingers to make air quotes and let out a huff of disapproval. “Fine for others, perhaps. Too much to do, though. Too much to prepare, to test.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Shepard rolled her eyes. “Thing is, we already tested your seeker swarm thing on Horizon, right?”

“Yes. Very successful, too.” Mordin tapped his finger on his chin. “Lots of valuable data from that mission. Led to breakthroughs, improvements, more testing.”

“Right, right,” Shepard waved her hand dismissively. “Here's the thing, though. You really should take a break from this. For a little while, anyway.”

Mordin narrowed his eyes and gave the commander a hard stare. “Your point, Shepard?”

“I'm going to whisk you away to earth for a little bit.”

Mordin's brow twitched in either confusion or frustration, Shepard wasn't sure which.

“Whisk me away?” he smirked. “Term usually used by humans in a romantic context. Perhaps I was not clear in our previous conversation.”

“Oh, no,” Shepard laughed. “You were perfectly clear. Trust me, my plans have no romantic overtones or connotations whatsoever. Besides, I think Thane might be a little upset if they did.”

Mordin clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing, muttering to himself. Shepard couldn't quite make out everything he said, but caught a few words – 'testing', 'improbable', 'boredom', were the ones that really caught her attention.

“Mordin,” she interrupted, “don't think of it as me pulling you away from your work. Look at it as an opportunity.”

Mordin paused his pacing and cocked his head at her. “Opportunity? Yes, yes! New environment, chance to study humans in a closer, more intimate setting. So many variables to consider, ideas to implement, theories to test. Limited test subjects on Normandy. Travel to earth would be very beneficial!” His face lit up when he realized the scientific value of traveling to earth with Shepard.

“Good! So it's settled, then!” Shepard clapped with glee as she made her way out of the lab.

“One question, Shepard. What will we be doing?” Mordin crossed his arms over his chest and waited for an answer.

“It's a surprise,” Shepard giggled. She hadn't been this excited about something in a long time.

“One more question. Will Thane be accompanying us?” The salarian cocked his head, his curiosity plain on his face.

“Nope. He's got plans with his son. It'll be just you and me for a few days.”

Mordin flared his nostrils and huffed. Shepard worked with him enough to know his initial excitement about traveling to earth – even with the new experiences and ideas the trip would offer – wore off moments after he asked his first question. His mind worked damn near at the speed of light and he was already thinking about what he'd be missing with the tests and experiments he was currently running. However, Shepard also knew that while he didn't like not knowing what was going on, his curiosity would get the better of him. This was simply too good an opportunity to pass up.

“Not being here to oversee tests problematic. EDI is an adequate substitution. Yes, the benefits outweigh the risks,” he conceded. “Very well, Shepard. Send me your itinerary.”

\- - - - - - - - - - -

Shepard chartered a ship to take them to earth. Although they traveled to the Sol system while getting ready to take on the Collectors, she made sure to be in and out quickly. She and Mordin would be planet-side for at least two days and she didn't want to risk the Normandy being out in the open like that. It was flying under Cerberus colors and she didn't want them getting picked up for being associated with a known terrorist organization. She paid extra to make sure they arrived in a day and a half instead of the usual four days. This gave them two days in the city – they'd land, check into their hotel, do the thing Shepard had planned that night, then leave the next day to shuttle back to the Normandy.

Once the ship docked, it was a quick shuttle ride to New York City. Fortunately, the city was swarming with people and the human and salarian hurrying down the street were only noticed by a handful of pedestrians. The desk clerk at the hotel was pleasant, giving them a map of the surrounding area, marking popular restaurants and tourist stops. Shepard thanked her, handed Mordin his room key, and told him he needed to meet her back in the lobby at 6pm sharp.

As they parted ways in the hall, she turned to her friend and said, “Oh, and Mordin? Please try and keep your enthusiasm reined in while we're here. The last thing I need is for you to get arrested on an assault charge because you needed some kind of tissue sample, ok?”

“Please, Shepard,” the salarian scoffed, “I do have some tact. More liberal experimenting on the crew because they are familiar.”

Shepard just chuckled and shook her head as she ducked into her room. She wanted to take advantage of her downtime to catch a quick nap. She honestly wasn't interested in sight-seeing – not on this trip, anyway – and she had a feeling Mordin wanted to take a walk and would rather be left alone, much as he did on the ship. As long as he met her in the lobby on time and didn't get into trouble satisfying his curiosity, she didn't care what he did.

The last thing Shepard thought about as she drifted off to sleep was how soft the mattress was compared to the one she had on the Normandy, and hoped she wouldn't wake up with a sore back. The next thing she knew, her alarm was buzzing, startling her out of a Thane-filled dream. She sat up, stretched, and smiled, hoping Mordin would like the surprise she had planned for him.

Shepard threw on a pair of jeans, a plain, black t-shirt, and grabbed her hoodie as she walked out of her room. She found Mordin pacing in the lobby, pausing every so often to examine the plants scattered symmetrically along the patterned tile floor.

“Ah, Shepard,” he exclaimed when she called his name. “Punctual, as always.”

“On time is late, Mordin, you know that,” Shepard laughed.

She linked her arm through his and listened as he happily talked about how he spent the past several hours – observing how humans interacted with others as they hurried along the crowded sidewalks of the city, how the homeless here were like anywhere else (obvious to those looking but still unseen to people ). He also helped said homeless by paying them for hair and tissue samples.

When Shepard frowned at that, he waved his hand dismissively. “Need money. Not all are addicts. Plus samples will show differences in population here versus homeless elsewhere. Could lead to new medicines, dietary supplements, different approaches to helping them.”

“As long as they agreed,” Shepard sighed, guiding them into a skycab.

Mordin continued to chatter about the things he had noted while Shepard napped. Shepard just grinned an listened, happy that she was right about this trip being a good thing for him. He might not be relaxing the way she'd hoped, but at least he was enjoying himself.

His chatter ceased when the skycab stopped and he realized where they were. “Shepard, is this... have you brought me to Broadway?” The salarian's eyes grew huge and his jaw dropped.

“I did, my friend. I scored us box seats to the Pirates of Penzance.”

Mordin clapped his hands and grinned so wide Shepard thought his face might split in two. “Fantastic! Can't believe you remembered I acted in several Gilbert and Sullivan productions!”

“Mordin, how could I forget? Especially after you sang for me!” Shepard reminded him.

They made their way through the crowded lobby, listening as an usher explained where their seats were. Mordin didn't say a word as they sat, waiting for the curtain to go up. When it did, Mordin moved to the edge of his seat, enraptured by the show on the stage. Shepard leaned back, beaming as her friend tapped his feet and bobbed his head, singing along with every number being performed. He would lean over from time to time, explaining things he thought she may have missed or to give her pieces of trivia about the show's creators. When the house lights came up and deafening applause filled the theater, Shepard thought she saw Mordin wipe his eye.

“Mordin, are you ok?” she asked, not sure whether to laugh or worry.

“Yes, yes. There are numerous dust particles. Irritated tear ducts and mucus membranes as a result.”

“Ah, ok then,” she smiled, knowing to leave well enough alone.

Mordin was unusually silent for the trip back to the hotel. Shepard didn't say anything, figuring he was wondering how EDI might have screwed up his test results or that he was even thinking about more tests to run when they got back. Instead, once they exited the skycab at the hotel, he cleared his throat. “Thank you, Shepard.”

“Of course,” she smiled. “You needed a break.”

“No, no, not just that. Overheard crew talking about 'bucket lists'. Thought I might come up with one myself. Added seeing a Gilbert and Sullivan musical as a fluke. Never thought it would happen though.”

“Mordin, I'm glad I could help you with that,” she said, squeezing his arm.

“Of course.” Mordin paused for a moment, sniffed, then quietly added. “Only thing left is to run tests on seashells.”


End file.
